


All That Glitters

by emygrl99



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Steven Universe Fusion, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Family Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Inspired by Steven Universe, LLF Comment Project, One Piece Big Bang 2017, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Team as Family, The Author Regrets Everything, Universe Alteration, basically just canon but with fusions, o/, reluctantly finished, the author was pressured into finishing this, this is 30 years late I'm so sorry, ಠ_ಠ
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-30 04:26:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11455968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emygrl99/pseuds/emygrl99
Summary: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯It's canon, but with 300% more fusions. Part of the One Piece Big Bang 2017





	1. Love Like You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a year in the making (literally) and I'm glad to finally get it out there! It started with an idea I had about a SU/OP crossover and everything grew from there. Unfortunately, I couldn't squeeze in every detail about the world that I wanted to, so I'll have extra tidbits of fun facts at the end of each chapter.
> 
> The art was done by the super incredible 4annfals on tumblr, so go check her out and give her art some love! Seriously, she's been almost ridiculously patient with me.  
> https://4annfals.tumblr.com/post/162909076184/and-heres-finally-my-illustration-for-the#notes 
> 
> Also a huge huge thank you to the best beta ever aka shishiswordsman, and LeafyxThiefy for helping this story get finished at all. I literally could not have done this without you, I can't thank you enough for all the help and support and brainstorming. You're the best!
> 
> I can't think of anything else to add at the moment, so without further ado, enjoy! :)

Ace blew out a breath as he straightened up, looking out across the forest to where he could barely see the setting sun through the trees. He had been talking with Sabo about moving their treasure for a while now—their last spot had become too small to contain all of their stolen goods—and it was nice to know that it had finally been relocated somewhere more secure. Maybe they should split the stash up and disperse them to different locations, in case this spot was discovered as well.

Ace frowned, remembering how excited Luffy had been to discover where Ace went every day. The brat had been following Ace through the forest for months now, but Ace had never expected that the kid would actually manage to reach the Gray Terminal. He most certainly hadn’t anticipated that Luffy’s penchant for attracting trouble would land him in the hands of pirates within an hour of showing up.

Either way, their treasure was safe again, and Ace was sure that Luffy had cracked under the pirate's questioning by now. He was probably back with the bandits already, or wandering around the woods again trying to find them. Ace had to admit he felt a little bad for abandoning the kid, but anybody with a shred of common sense would cough up what they knew when up against real pirates. Luffy would be fine.

"ACE!" Sabo's voice reached him long before the boy himself appeared at the base of the tree.

"Sabo! Where’ve you been? Have the pirates gone to the old spot yet?"

Sabo looked up at Ace with wide eyes, gripping his pole tightly. "No, they couldn't possibly know where to go," he said, his low, urgent tone promptly capturing Ace’s attention.

"...what do you mean?” he asked slowly. “There’s no way Luffy hasn’t told them by now, you saw how much of an open book he is."

"There hasn't been anybody in the forest, Ace. Luffy-" Sabo adjusted his too-short sleeves, a nervous habit that revealed just how unnerved Sabo was truly feeling at the moment. "He hasn't told them a thing!"

Ace could have sworn his heart actually skipped a beat.

"He's still with Porchemy, being tortured for information! I heard the Gray Terminal inhabitants talking about it in passing and I couldn’t believe it either, but..." Suddenly, Sabo’s urgency made perfect sense.

It’d been hours since Luffy was taken away, and Ace and Sabo had both heard plenty of stories about just what the pirates in the Pirate Cove were willing to do to get what they wanted. Luffy was annoying and loud even on a good day, but pair that with a stressed underling who wasn’t getting the information they wanted...

“Ace! We need to go _now,_ or Luffy is going to be killed!” Sabo stressed, his voice cutting through Ace’s thoughts like a knife.

He nodded, grabbing his pole before racing off with Sabo back to the Gray Terminal.

They emerged from the forest in record time, and Ace relied entirely on Sabo to know where he was going. When they ended up veering away from the Pirate’s Cove, Ace was momentarily confused before he realized that Porchemy had probably taken Luffy to a more remote location to avoid Bluejam’s wrath. It was just one more sign of how dire the situation had become.

Ace’s mind was running through a loop of ‘why’s, unable to understand how the weakling little kid that nearly got himself killed on a daily basis for no reason _hadn’t told the pirates a thing_. Ace had been absolutely certain that Luffy would cough up the info after a mean look or two, and he’d come out of it a little shaken, but still in one piece.

It didn’t make sense no matter how he looked at it, but Ace cleared his mind as a dilapidated shack came into view, and he prepared himself for the fight they were about to get into.

As expected, the Bluejam pirates did not go down easily, but with Sabo’s help the two of them and Luffy managed to escape back into the safety of the woods. He now sat on a large tree root, attempting to repair his staff and coalesce his baffled thoughts. Ace couldn’t help but glance at the kid with tears streaming down his cheeks as Sabo treated his wounds, unable to align the facts as they were with the truth as he saw it.

How could such a crybaby not crack even slightly after hours of painful torture?

Logically, Ace knew that Luffy must have been in a lot of pain, but eventually his sobbing grew to the point where Ace couldn't ignore it any more. "Will you shut up already?” he shouted irately. “You're so annoying! How long are you gonna keep crying like that? I hate weaklings like you who cry all the time!"

“Ace-” Sabo chided, but the sobs immediately stopped, surprising the both of them and stilling the words on his tongue.

Luffy's head dipped into a bow, hands clenched into fists and voice hitching dangerously. "Thank you, for- for saving m-me." The tears began to flow freely again, and Ace would have jumped forward to shake some sense into him if Sabo hadn't held him back.

"He's just trying to thank us Ace, cut him some slack." Sabo gave Ace a serious look.

Ace scoffed. "Either way, why didn't you just tell them what you knew? Those guys have killed women and children without a second thought, who did you think you were dealing with?"

"Because..." Luffy said quietly. "If I told them where the treasure was, I wouldn't be able to be your friend."

"That would have been better than _dying._ Why do you want to be my friend so bad that you would get yourself killed for it, anyways?"

"Because there isn't anybody else!" Luffy shouted. "I can't go back to Windmill Village and I hate those stupid mountain bandits! If I didn't follow you... I would be all alone!” Luffy shouted, bandaged hands clenching into fists at his sides. He wilted soon after, casting his eyes down to the dirt. “Being lonely is worse than getting hurt," he murmured.

The accuracy of that statement stopped Ace in his tracks. "What about your parents? Where are they?"

"Dunno. Gramps is the only family I have," Luffy said, and suddenly Ace found that he couldn't blame the kid any more. Somehow, Luffy had managed to dissipate all of Ace's anger with that single sentence. Ace knew all too well the pain of being completely and utterly alone, and he averted his gaze, unable to look into Luffy's pained eyes. Had Luffy experienced that very same feeling?

"You're not so lonely when I'm around?"

"Right."

“And you would be if I wasn’t here?”

“Yeah.”

"Then... you want me to live?" The question had slipped from Ace’s lips before he’d gotten the chance to swallow it, and he wished that he could snatch those words back out of the air. He could feel Sabo’s eyes darting between the two, obviously understanding the magnitude of this conversation, but Ace stubbornly ignored him, waiting to see how Luffy would respond to such an obviously out of place question.

"Of course!" The answer came so swiftly and surely that it left Ace no choice but to believe its sincerity. Even if it wasn’t for that, Luffy was clearly the type to speak his mind regardless of what others expected of him. If he truly believed that he would never be able to have a friend if he said a word about the treasure... that was something Ace could almost believe. Only an idiot like Luffy would think like that, but maybe Luffy could an exception to the rule.

"Okay." Ace turned away, the gravity of the conversation pulling too heavily on him. "I still hate spoiled brats like you, though.”

That riled Luffy up, of course, and he jumped off of the tree root directly into Ace’s space. "I'm not spoiled! I'm strong!" Luffy declared, and god if this kid didn't push all of Ace's buttons the wrong way.

"Strong? What do you mean _strong_? You can't even stop crying for two minutes!" he accused, getting right back in Luffy’s face.

"Have you ever been punched with a spiked glove? It _hurt!_ I won't cry at all when I'm ten like you! And we'll both be way stronger than you are now too!”

"Idiot, I didn't- wait, we?" Ace stumbled over his words once his brain caught up with what Luffy had said.

Luffy's lips immediately puckered into a face that couldn’t more clearly signify that he was lying. Ace wondered how the hell this kid had managed to live so long with such a horrible poker face.

"I. I said I."

"No, you said 'we'. What do you mean 'we'?"

“I don’t mean anything!”

“So you admit that you did say we!”

“Luffy,” Sabo intervened. Luffy turned to him with wide, curious eyes, and Sabo stepped between Luffy and Ace to prevent any further conflict. “You said you want to be our friend, right?”

“Right.”

“And friends don’t lie to each other or keep important things secret, right?”

“Right.”

Sabo waited a moment for Luffy to make the connection, but it seemed it would take some further prodding. No wonder Porchemy had such a hard time trying to get any information out of him. “If you want to be our friend, you can’t keep secrets from us.”

“Oh.” Luffy seemed to consider this for a moment before averting his eyes. "But gramps doesn't like it, he says it's cheating!” he protested. “He always says that we should never fuse, but then he leaves and it's less lonely when we're together!" His entire demeanor screamed of someone who had been caught with their hands red handed, but Ace still had no idea what Luffy was going on about.

"Fusion?" he asked, bewildered by the sudden change in conversation. “Do you have a brother or something?”

"Your gramps told you to never fuse?" Sabo questioned, and Ace’s gaze flickered to him, looking for an explanation but finding none.

Luffy nodded. “Yeah, so that’s why I can’t tell you that I’m a fusion, or else gramps will get mad!”

Silence, and then- “Crap! No, wait, I didn’t say anything! You didn’t hear that! Don’t tell gramps I told you!” Luffy started backpedalling furiously.

Sabo only laughed, “We don’t care if you’re a fusion, Luffy.”

This gave Luffy pause, and he cocked his head suspiciously. “You don’t?”

“No,” affirmed Sabo, placing his hands on Luffy’s shoulders. “Luffy, don't let anyone, not even gramps, _ever_ make you feel like you don’t deserve or shouldn’t have what you want. Okay?”

Luffy nodded, and Ace finally found his voice to speak up, the initial surprise from the reveal fading. "But you only have one gem. How can you be a fusion with only one gem, aren't they supposed to have two?"

Ace admittedly did not have much knowledge about fusions and how they worked, but it was common knowledge that a fusion was stronger than its two parts, and there was one gem for each person involved. Trust that shitty geezer to plant the thought in Luffy’s mind that fusion was cheating.

"Stupid Ace, the gems are both in the same spot," Luffy said, rolling his eyes as if that should be obvious.

"Who're you calling stupid, idiot?" Ace shouted, butting foreheads with Luffy yet again.

"Alright, that's enough!" Sabo interrupted, shoving the two of them apart again. "Now that that’s out of the way, I have a problem, so I need you both to hear me out.”

"A problem?" Luffy echoed, anger forgotten with the wind.

"Right." Sabo nodded. "Before today, I usually slept in the forest ‘cause it’s safer and away from the rest of the Gray Terminal. After tonight the pirates will be looking for all three of us though. What would happen if Bluejam attacked me in the night while I was sleeping?"

"You'd die."

"Right.” Sabo pulled them into a huddle. “So here's that I'm thinking—"

* * *

 

A few months later, Ace was standing alone at the top of the treehouse they had built, with nothing but the cold night sky to keep him company. The stars glinted far up above, seemingly weightless against an inky backdrop, but his chest was heavy after another trip back from Low Town. Cruel laughter echoed in his ears, and Ace turned his head away, gripping the wooden railing so tightly it splintered and left fresh new stinging cuts on the palm of his hand.

He didn’t know why he went back. Didn’t know why he’d even started going in the first place when the outcome never, ever changed. He _hated_ hearing their drunken thoughts about how the son of Gold Roger could never be anything more than trash, but some wandering part of him couldn’t resist the temptation. He never wanted to be the son of the Pirate King; didn’t ask to spend what would likely be the rest of his life cursing his father’s name. Ace wished more than anything that he could have been born to normal parents so that the blood of a demon wouldn’t be running through his veins, but here he was.

Lost in his self-deprecating spiral of thoughts, Ace failed to notice the quiet sound of footsteps approaching from behind.

“Ace?”

Ace jumped at the sleepy voice, whirling around to find Luffy standing in front of him, half awake with a ratty blanket spilling from his shoulders. Usually when Ace got in this kind of mood he would go hunting and take out his frustration on some animals, but with his brothers sleeping in front of the door, he hadn’t wanted to risk them waking up and asking questions. A lot of good that plan had done him.

“Go back to bed, Luffy. I’ll be there in a minute,” he said, trying to keep his twisted emotions from bleeding into his voice.

Luffy, of course, acted like he hadn’t heard a word Ace said. Instead, Ace was surprised by a sudden warmth as Luffy’s blanket-swathed arms wrapped him in a tight hug. Ace immediately stiffened, mentally cursing Luffy’s inability to listen, but no matter how gently he tried to pried the imposing arms away, Luffy refused to budge. Ace soon gave up, begrudgingly accepting the comforting warmth.

“Why are you sad, Ace?”

Ace jolted, not expecting the sudden blunt question. “I’m not.”

“Makino always said that the people who are always alone are always the saddest.” Luffy’s head tilted up so he could give Ace a small grin. “But I’m here now, so you don’t have to be alone and sad, okay?”

Although they were muffled by the blanket and Ace’s clothing, Luffy’s words were no less powerful, stealing away any response Ace might have given. Luffy always had been exceedingly perceptive when it came to what the people he held dear needed, like a hug or some kind words at the exact right time. It was just another part of his brother that Ace hadn’t even begun to understand, but he went with it. Over the past few months he’d found out that doing so was ultimately much easier in the long run.

Something tight drained from Ace’s chest, and the empty space left behind was flooded with warmth. The pain he’d felt so sharply diminished within the aura of the happy little boy currently squeezing the life out of him. It was impossible to be upset around Luffy; the boy exuded happiness in a way that was infectious to everyone near him.

“Yeah,” Ace said softly, a small smile unknowingly making its way to his face as he turned into the embrace. “I guess you’re right.”

Ace had never fused before, but if he were to guess what it would feel like, he would think of something like this. Ace’s cheeks flushed at the sudden intimate thought. Ace had never cared about his gem beyond the strength it gave him; never cared about fusion or even getting close enough to another person for fusion to even be possible.

Why would anybody willingly fuse with the son of a demon?

Fusion was the ultimate show of trust and acceptance between two people, and therefore something Ace could never have.

Ace stepped out of Luffy’s embrace, ignoring the protests it earned as he climbed back down the ladder and into the treehouse. Sabo still lay sound asleep on one of the mats, wrapped tightly around a pillow for protection from the cool night air. Ace paused, just looking at his closest and only friend for the past five years. Sabo’s chest slowly rose and fell evenly, deep asleep.

Sabo had been the first person Ace had ever dared to let stick around. They had always operated on a don’t-ask-don’t-tell basis, and Ace had assumed that it was a mutual agreement between the two of them. Ace thought of the few times Sabo had tried opening up to him in the past, and of the numerous times Ace had held him at arm’s length in return.

The tight feeling returned to his chest, and Ace automatically turned to leave once more, only to find himself blocked by Luffy. Again.

“Ace? Wh’s wrong?” Luffy swayed slightly as he stood, as though his body was physically weighed down by the boundless dreams it could be having, but the concern in his eyes was genuine.

“...nothing,” Ace found himself saying, taking Luffy by the shoulders and leading the boy back to his mat. “’m just tired, that’s all.”

Luffy gave little protest to being herded back to bed, fading as soon as his head hit the pillow. His arms opened up, inviting Ace into a cocoon of warmth and safety.

Already Ace could feel himself pulling away, a refusal perched on his lips, but then Sabo mumbled something in his sleep, and Ace was reminded of the tightness he’d felt.

Ace imagined his life after five years of treating Luffy the same way he had Sabo. Luffy would no longer offer those bright smiles to Ace, no longer try to drag Ace along on adventures or into town to eat ramen or get into fights, and Ace’s heart ached. For all of his attempts to be left alone, Ace knew that he had never truly wanted the isolation that he pushed so hard for.

Just this once, Ace let himself give into the temptation Luffy offered, climbing under the thin blanket and laying there until the quiet breathing of his two brothers lulled him into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

 

From that day on, Ace made more of an effort to not close himself off from Sabo and Luffy. As much as he didn’t want to, eventually the three of them would have to part ways, and Ace didn’t want to have any lingering regrets.

Sabo, of course, had picked up that something had changed, but he said nothing, much to Ace’s relief. Luffy, however, was too thrilled by Ace’s newfound willingness to go along with his whims to question the reasons why.

Ace found himself being dragged into even more mischief than before, if that was even possible. Every trip into town had turned into the three of them gasping for breath through peals of laughter as they ran from adults who’d experienced Luffy’s special brand of chaos first hand.

At some point, their mats in the treehouse had all migrated next to each other to form a circle, and there was talk of finding better ones in preparation for winter. The number of solo trips Ace took into town began to slow before stopping altogether, his days too filled with adventure for any other nighttime escapades.

And finally, Ace was happy.

The three of them were sitting around a campfire now, enjoying a fresh meal of roasted crocodile. The meal was Sabo’s treat, a result of a double dare from Ace and Luffy that he wouldn’t jump into the river to catch one in the middle of winter.

Once their stomachs were sufficiently full, Ace was content to listen to Luffy’s telling of how he would singlehandedly defeat the tiger lord. When Ace and Sabo didn’t seem particularly impressed by the declaration, he then went into more detail of exactly how the fight would go down, and Ace and Sabo settled down to see just how crazy Luffy’s story would get.

The night was full of laughter as they all traded stories, leaving Luffy slack jawed at all the trouble Ace and Sabo had gotten into long before he came around. At some point, Sabo left to get “something special” from the treehouse, deserting Ace to the task of defending their food from wild animals — Luffy included.

The boy in question lay on his stomach, legs swinging in the air as he studied Ace curiously.

Ace pretended to tend to the fire for a minute despite the fact they both knew it was practically self-sufficient in Ace’s presence. Ace liked to believe that he’d gotten better with staying calm and controlling his temper, but he grew more restless with each passing second. FInally, he snapped. “What are you looking at?”

“Ace,” Luffy beamed, kicking his legs some more and burying his head in his arms as if he had discovered an amazing secret.

“Well, duh,” Ace sighed, wondering just what plot Luffy was brewing up now. “I meant _why_ are you looking at me?”

“You’re not sad any more!” Luffy enthused, hopping up and bounding over to Ace excitedly. Ace automatically shifted to protect what was left of the food.

“So?” Ace’s cheeks heated. It was the first time either of them had mentioned Ace’s change out loud. Ace figured Sabo must have said something to Luffy to keep him quiet about it, but then again, Luffy wasn’t the best at holding back whatever thought came to mind.

“We should fuse!”

Ace’s mind short circuited.

“What?” He was almost certain that he’d misheard Luffy somehow, despite the fact that Luffy was standing directly in front of Ace and speaking louder than was necessary, as per usual. “I mean- _what?_ ”

“Fuse with me!” Luffy repeated, rolling his eyes as if he couldn’t believe that he needed to explain this to Ace. “You know, dancing and then there’s this big light and a _whoosh!_ and then you’re somebody else! Kinda.”

“I know what fusion is, idiot,” Ace scoffed, cuffing Luffy’s head in irritation.

“Then let’s do it!” The boy didn’t seem at all deterred, grabbing Ace and whirling him around. Ace had to pry Luffy’s hands away to get him to stop.

“Luffy, you can’t just _say_ ‘hey, let’s fuse!’ out of nowhere!”

Luffy cocked his head, brows furrowing. “Why not?”

“Because... you just can’t. That’s now how it works.”

That only served to confuse Luffy even more. “But that’s how Lemon and Spinel do it. Though they don’t really need to dance any more. They just like to.”

“Well that’s- I… don’t know how to do it,” Ace admitted, crossing his arms and turning away so he wouldn’t have to look at Luffy. He’d never expected to get backed into a corner by Luffy of all people. “I’ve never fused before. With anybody.”

“Never?”

“No.”

“Not even with Sabo?”

“ _NO!_ ”

Luffy was unperturbed by Ace’s shouting, instead breaking out into a grin against all of Ace’s expectations.

“Then that means I get to be Ace’s first!” He laughed merrily, looking so thrilled at the prospect that Ace couldn’t even bring himself to feel annoyed by his sunny enthusiasm. “Fusing’s easy! There’s no ‘way’ to do it really, but dancing is fun so I like doing that!”

Ace had no way to respond to that and allowed Luffy to drag him over to a clear area off to the side. He felt unbearably awkward at first just standing there swaying from side to side, but like always, Ace eventually found himself being drawn into Luffy’s aura. It was impossible to feel negatively around Luffy—the kid had no sense of shame and not a single mean bone in his body.

At some point a music box appeared, though where Luffy had gotten it and how he’d managed to keep it hidden for so long was an absolute mystery to Ace. He didn’t question it though, instead listening to the merry melody it twinkled.

The only problem was, the music kept cutting out as a result of its shoddy quality and needed to be constantly reset in order to keep playing. It wasn’t long until it turned into a competition between the two, as most things did nowadays. Whoever was closest to the music box when the music ended would have to reset it, so those precious 30 seconds before the end of the song were spent with the two of them grappling and spinning around in a furious attempt to not be caught closer.

Ace was pretty sure that he was winning even though neither of them were keeping count. He didn’t notice the warmth spreading from his chest all the way out to the tips of his fingers as he wrestled with Luffy, too caught up in the fun of their game to notice much else.

A bright light that enveloped the both of them, and suddenly, Clinohumite stumbled at the sudden lack of counterweight, arms flailing outwards to catch their balance. When the world stopped tilting, they froze, eyes scrolling down to find unfamiliar clothing and a strangely colored gem on their chest. It was bright orange, and the way it reflected the light of the campfire gave off the appearance that the gem itself was made of flames. A hand ghosted over their back where they knew the other gem gem was, right between the shoulder blades.

“Woah,” they breathed, hands clapping over their mouth in surprise at their voice.

“Did I- We’re..?” Clinohumite turned around as if they could examine their entire body that way, a laugh escaping them at the feeling of it.

“We did! I can’t believe it, it’s so- this is what it’s like?” Heat radiated from their body in waves, eyes bright and full of energy. It felt _good_ to be alive. They stretched their muscles, enjoying the feeling and measuring the strength that lie within them.

_Crack._

Clinohumite whirled around to see a shocked Sabo staring at them, an armful of sticks and what appeared to be a bag of marshmallows in his arms. Clinohumite froze, their form wavering until it split in two.

Luffy and Ace fell apart, and Ace coughed as he swallowed a mouthful of mud. He sat up in a daze, the ghost of _something_ still echoing through his mind and body.

“Ace!” Luffy joyously tackled Ace, sending them both sprawling into the dirt again. “I told you, didn’t I?” Luffy beamed, looking so pleased that Ace couldn’t help but ruffle his hair.

“Yeah, you did.”

“ _What_ is going on here?” Sabo’s voice brought Ace back to reality, his eyes snapping to where the blond still stood, staring at them in shock. Ace pushed Luffy off of him, suddenly nervous as to what Sabo’s reaction would be. Would he be offended? Disgusted? Angry that Ace had fused with the boy they’d only know for a couple months when Ace and Sabo had been each other’s only friend for the past five years?

Whatever it was, his fears proved unfounded.

“That was amazing!” Sabo exclaimed, tossing aside his armful and closing the distance between them. Questions poured from him like a river. “How did you do it? I’ve never seen a fusion before! What was it like? What gem do you guys have? Was it like being two people in one body?”

Ace was admittedly relieved when Luffy’s stomach rumbled loudly, putting a stop to Sabo’s barrage of questions. “Food now, questions later!” Luffy demanded, bounding towards the forgotten snacks. Sabo rolled his eyes as Ace snorted out a laugh. The two of them shared a look, and Sabo gave Ace a small smile.

“We’d better do something before he makes himself sick.”

“Yeah.” Ace shuffled nervously, stiffening when a pair of arms wrapped gingerly around his shoulders. Ace couldn’t remember Sabo ever hugging him before.

“I’m happy for you,” the blond whispered before pulling away and going after Luffy, shouting that the marshmallows were _expensive_ and that they needed to _share_. His words fell on deaf ears.

Ace stood there for a few more moments, a lightness floating in his chest as he watched his brothers get into a scuffle over the now half-empty bag of sugary puffs. Ace’s feet carried him to them like a magnet, unaware of the small smile that had settled on his lips.

It was nice, not being so alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun facts!
> 
> -Everybody in this universe is born with a gem somewhere on their body, and have all the abilities that a gem from Steven Universe would possess.  
> -Devil fruit abilities from OP canon are simply that person's gem-specific, completely unique specialty.  
> -Ace's gem is citrine and is located on his back, between the shoulder blades  
> -Sabo's gem is orthoclase, on the back of his left hand. His family had it engraved with their crest when he was born, so he wears gloves to cover it. He eventually has it re-engraved to look like a sun.  
> -Luffy is a fusion of star lemon quartz and red spinel, making Luffy's gem a fire opal. Both of their gems are located on their chest over their heart.  
> -Clinohumite has 4 arms and 4 eyes.
> 
> This story is part of [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), whose goal is to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites:
> 
> * Short comments
> 
> * Long comments
> 
> * Questions
> 
> * “<3” as extra kudos
> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
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	2. Don't Cost Nothing

The sun shone brilliantly in the sky, its bright light scattering off of the sea to create thousands of sparkles dancing on the open water. There was a pleasantly cool breeze blowing in from the south. Paired with the puffy, white clouds drifting lazily through the sky, it was easily shaping up to be a beautiful summer day.

“Ouch! Hey, that’s no fair! You’re cheating!” Shouts rose from the deck below, along with a sound that was suspiciously similar to that of splintering wood.

It seemed that the chaos would start early today.

“Knock it off, you three!” Nami shouted irately. “If you mess up my tan, I’m charging you 10,000 beli each!” The sound of grumbling voices and retreating footsteps followed, and silence returned to the deck once more.

“I swear, those three are going to be the end of me,” Nami muttered under her breath, and Robin chuckled softly at the book she was reading.

“Considering our captain’s penchant for finding trouble, I find the possibility very likely.”

“Don’t remind me,” Nami groaned, her head falling back on the seat.

“Oi! Don’t bother the ladies, you shitheads!” Sanji shouted as he emerged from the kitchen with a tray of goodies balanced on one hand, right on time. His aggressive demeanor gave way to his usual swooning self as he approached the women, swooping the tray down for them to take whatever they wanted.

“Robin-chan, Nami-swan, I made some refreshments to help protect you from the heat!”

“Thank you, Sanji-kun.” Robin gratefully accepted an iced tea and fruit tart while Nami selected a frozen smoothie and mini cake.

Sanji left to go give the boys whatever was left, and Robin returned to reading her book. She watched with disguised interest through an eye she’d bloomed on the mast as Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper played together on the deck.

What had first started as a competition to see who could shapeshift their body in the most ridiculous way - crazily disproportionate limbs, half-human half-animal hybrids, or various foods, in Luffy’s case - had soon evolved into impressions that left all three boys rolling on the deck trying to stifle their laughter.

If she hadn’t experienced it herself, she would have thought it impossible that her life could change so drastically in the span of a month. A lifetime of deceit and betrayal had taught her to always expect the worst; to always stay on her guard and to trust no one. And yet, despite all of her efforts, this little ship on the sea had already begun to feel like home.

Robin knew that she had no right partaking in the laughter, happiness, or the shared closeness between every member of this crew. She was the newest member and had only until recently been one of their greatest enemies.

However, it was far more difficult to resist being pulled into the natural energy they exuded, especially Luffy’s. The entire crew had eventually adapted to her presence far faster than any other would have, and Robin couldn’t decide if that trust made them incredibly naive or exceedingly brave.

They were all still so young, the very opposite of every other pirate crew on the sea in every way, but Robin decided that she wouldn’t have it any other way. At the very least, their bright innocence was a refreshing break from the shadows she had grown up in.

It was only a matter of time until they realized just who they had allowed to board their ship, but until then, surely it wouldn’t hurt to travel with them a bit longer.

* * *

 

Robin didn’t understand.

Over the past few months, she had grown to realize just how foolish and headstrong this crew could be. She knew better than anybody that they would never accept a crew member leaving with no explanation, but she had hoped that just this once they would let her do this for them. Never once did Robin consider that the dedication they all held for their dreams could be directed towards saving _her_.

She had made absolutely sure her disappearance was a clean break; swift and sharp enough to make it clear that she had acted of her own volition. Robin didn’t want to be saved. She had done countless horrible deeds in her life that would never go away and had brought the wrath of many powerful enemies. Simply being near her would put them all in danger, and that was the last thing Robin wanted. She was bad for them in every sense of the word, and yet, here they all were, bringing the exact scenario she’d tried to avoid to life.

They should never have come.

She didn’t deserve their kindness.

Her life wasn’t worth saving.

“ROBIN! We still haven’t heard it from you yet!” Luffy’s voice carried between the bottomless chasm that separated them. It was filled with more authority and certainty than Robin had ever heard from him, as if it was an absolute fact she would be saved and he simply needed confirmation to go for it. “Say you want to live!”

The dam of tears that had been threatening to spill finally broke, blurring her vision and causing her breath to hitch at the sight of the only family she’s dared to want standing tall, prepared to take on the world if that’s what they had to do to get her back.

“I…”

The words were hanging off her tongue, ready to be said for the first time, but she didn’t dare.  

Even thinking it seemed too bold, too arrogant of her. Malicious words rang in her ears, were etched to the backs of her eyelids so as to remind her of what she was every time she closed her eyes — _“demon spawn, unworthy, unloved, should be dead.”_ Robin had come to accept those words as fact. She convinced herself that she was content with a lifetime on the run, hated by all. Except... there was no malice in Luffy’s tone, at least none aimed at her. He was giving her a choice.

So, if she would be so bold as to allow herself this one wish… Maybe they would still have her back? Maybe she could sail with them again, embraced in the safe warmth of their companionship. What Robin wanted more than anything was to extend a hand out to them and be allowed back into the warmest embrace she had ever felt.

If for one moment she could allow herself to have a single desire…

“I want to live!” she screamed back, loud enough to mask the cruel voices that had followed her all her life. “Take me out to sea with you!”

Even through her tear-blurred eyes and the immeasurable space between then, Robin could see Luffy’s smirk.

Despite all of the pain and humiliation that followed, a small pocket of unbridled happiness had nestled into her heart. It warmed her entire being from inside out and gave her the strength to fight back that she never knew she’d possessed.

Somehow, in the self-destructive spiral she had been tumbling down for the past two decades, she’d managed to find an amazing group of people, and she didn’t want to ever let go of again.

Somehow, she’d finally managed to find a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Facts!
> 
> -Robin's gem is iolite  
> -Chopper is human, but with exceptional shapeshifting abilities. His gem is zircon (the brown variation).  
> -Nami's gem is botryogen  
> -Usopp's gem is topaz  
> -Sani's gem is dioptase  
> -Luffy's specilization is in body distortions (ie stretching limbs). All "devil fruit users" can freely swim, but Luffy never learned how.


	3. Destiny

Marco didn’t believe in fate or destiny. He was a strong purveyor of the belief that each person was in charge of their own life, as long as they’re strong enough to defend it. Countless years of violence and bloodshed, fighting in vain against a higher power and searching for a place to belong had taught him that much.

The strong acted, the weak reacted. Such was the way of life, and Marco had made damn sure that he would always be strong enough to act. He trained every day, took on more duties than anybody else in the crew and gladly accepted the titles of ‘overbearing’ and ‘spoilsport’ as long as it meant that those he loved would also have the power to act as well.

Looking down on the bloodstained plaza below, Marco couldn't help but wonder where he had gone wrong.

He was forced to watch as his brothers and sisters fell one by one, fighting for a man who had so quickly become important to them all.

Marco ignored the sting of bullets passing through him, soaring directly toward the execution platform where Ace kneeled on hard wood, waiting. Ace was covered in injuries, both fresh and old, and the sight made Marco’s blood boil with rage. Ace was a child of the sea, a strong and competent sailor who valued freedom and family above all else. Seeing that freedom, that light, so cruelly torn away from him was not a sight Marco would likely ever be able to forget, let alone tolerate.

But of course, life rarely cared what Marco wanted. As soon as he was in range of the platform, Vice Admiral Garp knocked Marco back down to the ground with a powerful punch that left his teeth rattling. His fire burned away any injuries and blood from the attack, and Marco got up, glowering at the man who was now standing between him and Ace’s freedom.

And then Oyaji fell, coughing up a pool of blood in the middle of his fight against Akainu. Marco ran to aid him, panic building in the back of his mind. He was pierced by burning rays of light as he ran, but he ignored the pain that was soon washed away with blue fire. He was focused entirely on the hunched form of the only father he’d ever had. Oyaji’s health was failing; nobody liked thinking about it, but they all knew it was true.

With that in mind, Marco managed to make several blunders. He was so distracted that he failed to notice a Vice Admiral until he appeared before him. Within the blink of an eye, Marco was trapped and felt the shocking cold of seastone being pressed against his wrist for the first time in decades. He fell to the ground, pierced by Kizaru’s light once again.

He was pulled back to himself when a shockwave of raw willpower rippled across the plaza, and it took Marco several moments to realize that the marines had almost executed Ace again.

Straw Hat Luffy stood, one of the few left standing in a ring of unconscious marines. It seemed nobody had been expecting the teen to display such a powerful manifestation of conqueror’s haki, and all who had witnessed it were stunned into silence, Marco included.

Straw Hat didn’t stay still for long, and the marines unconsciously backed away, allowing him room to pass before coming to their senses. The kid had more guts than half of the pirates on the sea, and that was saying a lot.

Oyaji continued to fight as well, taking damage that Marco _knew_ he should be able to avoid. It was excruciating to watch, and Marco _knew_ he could help if it wasn’t for the damn handcuffs that kept him grounded.

“Listen up, Whitebeard Pirates! It’s time for me to give you my final order as captain. It’s time that we part ways. All of you, survive and reunite in the New World!”

Marco’s blood ran cold. Whitebeard would never surrender, and would do everything he possibly could to protect his children. If he was telling everybody to survive and escape, it could only mean one thing: Oyaji knew that his strength alone would not be enough to ensure Ace’s survival. He was now calling upon the strength of his children to do what he could not.

Whitebeard was preparing to die.

Marco refused to accept it. Without their captain, the Whitebeard Pirates might not ever be able to recover from this war. Oyaji was the heart of the crew, the one common thread between them all that had allowed so many rejects and misfits to find a place to call home. Without him…

Marco cast off the unwelcome thoughts, waiting impatiently as a crew member attempted to unlock the handcuffs. While Marco was stuck here on the ground, he was forced to watch as Ace’s little brother managed to do what Marco couldn’t. Ace was free, and chaos erupted on the battlefield.

Out of the gigantic plume of smoke, the emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates burned proudly. Marco simply shook his head; even in a life or death situation like this, it seemed Ace would always have a penchant for dramatics.

Cheering could be heard from all around once the shock had subsided, and the pirates began to fight with renewed vigor. Fire Fist Ace was finally free, and there was no way in hell anybody would let it be taken from him again.

Ace and Straw Hat fought together in perfect tandem, as if they’d grown up fighting and covering each other’s backs until the point where their reactions were merely reflexive. They were a great team and their closeness was painfully evident in the way that Straw Hat refused to be separated from Ace by more than a few feet.

During it all, Marco keenly watched Ace and Straw Hat’s progress, and it seemed like they would escape after all. For a second, Marco allowed himself to feel some relief, some hope, but that was swept away when Akainu started spewing venomous insults about Oyaji and the Whitebeard Pirates.  That’s when everything began to fall apart.

Ace fell behind Straw Hat, slowing to a stop with visible tension in his body. His notoriously short temper getting the best of him, Ace clashed with Akainu, only to fly back, hand burning and shouting in pain. Silence stunned the battlefield, and everybody watched with horror as Akainu made to attack the fallen pirate again, only to change direction at the last moment. He was rushing Ace’s little brother, who’d fallen on his knees, shoulders slumped and breathing heavily. He didn’t even seem to realize the danger he was in.

Marco began to move at the same time as Ace, the only thought in his mind being a resounding ‘no’.

Forcing his body into gem form was excruciatingly difficult, but Marco barely noticed as his body began to transform into one of pure light, his eyes determinedly trained on Ace and Straw Hat. He’d only managed to do this once before for the briefest of moments, but the alternative of him not brute forcing his freedom was far more unacceptable.

He leapt forward with an incredible surge of energy, ripping apart the seastone handcuffs as if they were made of mere cloth. Bright blue light surged around him as his gem glowed brilliantly under the sun. Before anybody knew what was happening, there Marco was, standing in front of Ace and his little brother, a large fist passing directly through his torso.

Marco grunted at the pain, but the sensation of being impaled was not a new one, and it was nothing compared to the agony from changing his form. He took advantage of the admiral’s clear surprise at Marco’s sudden appearance, sending him flying across the battlefield with a swift kick to the chest.

Marco fell to his hands and knees as he had nothing left to support him, and Ace was by his side in an instant. Marco waved to indicate that he would be alright, but Ace continued to hover. Healing flames were already engulfing his injured body, finally taking away the immense pain and heaviness and leaving behind a dull ache.

By the time the flames vanished, Marco was good as new, if not somewhat ravenous. Healing an injury of that magnitude on top of all the wounds he’d already recovered from required an incredible amount of energy, but Marco shuddered to imagine what would have happened if Ace had taken the blow instead. No, he didn’t regret anything at all, even if Ace’s horrified face told Marco that he should.

Following that train of thought, Marco wasted no time in delivering a swift kick to Ace’s head, an attack that was only barely blocked by the unsuspecting teen.

“Marco? What the hell was that for?” Ace demanded, and for a moment, he sounded so normal that Marco could almost imagine they were back home on the Moby Dick, as if this horrible war had never happened.

“I could ask the same of you, yoi,” Marco shot back. “If it wasn’t for the fact that we’re in the middle of _a war_ , I would be grilling your reckless ass for almost getting yourself killed. _Again_.”

“I didn’t almost-”

“You did,” Marco cut in, leaving no more room for argument. “Now take your brother and get out of here before it’s too late. The Marines always have five tricks up their sleeve with one more for good luck and I’d rather you be far away from here when they decide to pull one out.” Marco turned, fully intending on going to provide backup and ensure that everybody successfully escaped, but a hand latched tightly onto his wrist, stopping Marco in his tracks.

“...you’re right.”

Marco turned back, expression pointedly neutral as he appraised the teen before him. Ace’s face was hidden and his grip was too tight, but Marco waited impassively for him to speak.

“Of course you’re right, you always are,” Ace muttered. The fighting had resumed by now, so Marco was the only one to hear his words, save for Straw Hat. He was following their conversation with hazy eyes, looking very much like he still didn’t quite understand what had just happened.

Ace looked up at Marco, eyes burning with the stubborn determination that Marco had grown to respect and admire over the past few years. Gone was the desperate and reckless abandon that had consumed him since the day he set out to avenge Thatch’s death. In its place was a sense of responsibility, no doubt due to the nearly successful attempt on his little brother’s life.  

Jinbe, who had rushed to Straw Hat’s side when he’d collapsed, spoke up. “Ace-san, we must leave this place, quickly! Our goal has been achieved, now we need to make our escape before any more lives are needlessly lost,” he urged, standing with a now unconscious Straw Hat bundled in his arms.

For a moment, Ace truly looked torn between his desire to make sure that his brother was safe, and his need to fight for Oyaji’s pride along with the family that had risked everything for him. Marco could pinpoint the exact moment he reached a conclusion, releasing Marco’s wrist and rising to his full height.

“Get my brother out of here Jinbe. I’m trusting you,” he said, and Jinbe nodded, understanding the significance of the request. The fishman didn’t stick around, quickly making his way to the coast with the other retreating pirates.

Ace turned his attention back to Marco, a familiar mischievous glint in his eye as he raised an open hand. “What do you say we show these Marines a pirate’s idea of a good time?”

A rare smile came to Marco’s face as he took Ace’s hand in his own, grasping it tightly. “I thought you’d never ask, yoi.”

Their gems glowed, and both men disappeared into the flash of light, emerging moments later as one. Alexandrite stood tall amidst the gaping stares of all who had witnessed the transformation, a smirk quirking their lips as they jumped high into the air.

“Everyone, retreat to the ships! It’s time to get the hell outta here!” they whooped, the command followed by cheers from all around as the Whitebeard Pirates continued for the remaining ships. Alexandrite left the commanders to facilitate the retreat from the ground, and joined in the fight to protect the more wounded crew members who couldn’t fight back. And if Alexandrite took a bit too much satisfaction in grinding those marines into the ground? Nobody could blame them.

It was going well at first- the ships were being filled slowly but surely, and Alexandrite came to the rescue of several straggling groups who were quickly being overwhelmed by marines. Oyaji fought off Akainu, continuing to destroy the headquarters.

The air reeked of burnt flesh, forcing Alexandrite to stop and gag as the stench washed over them. It wasn’t until they located the source that they truly shuddered. Oyaji was burning after taking a heavy hit from Akainu, and had been forced to his knees.

Alexandrite’s form wavered dangerously, unable to move even as a cry of “Oyaji!” was ripped cruelly from their throat. Just barely they managed to hold their form together and snap out of the shock as Oyaji climbed to his feet once more. He tossed Akainu high enough into the air that he looked no bigger than a child’s doll.

The punch he delivered as the admiral fell was enough to make the air itself splinter, causing the headquarters to crumble to the ground and split a gaping crevice in the ground.

By the time Teach showed up, Alexandrite had been strung far too thin to be surprised any more. That bastard had started all of this trouble by stealing Thatch’s gem, but one look at Oyaji and Alexandrite knew that revenge no longer lay in their hands.

They hadn’t seen Oyaji look this enraged in decades, but even then, it was painfully clear to them that Oyaji would not be able to win this fight. He’d taken far too much damage while Teach was still in top condition with an incredibly powerful ability— Thatch’s ability.

The bastard wore a chain of stolen abilities around his neck, with Thatch’s onyx gem right in the middle, in plain sight for the world to see. The sight sickened them, and Alexandrite finally separated.

“Ace, stop!” Marco held Ace back, which was a much easier task than it should have been. The fire user was incredibly weakened with no true strength to fight against Marco’s iron grip.

That didn’t stop him from struggling though, hatred burning in his eyes as he glared holes through Teach. “Let me go, Marco! _He killed Thatch!_ ”

Marco knocked Ace out with a solid punch to the head, having no other choice unless he wanted Ace to die right along with Oyaji. Walking away and knowing that this would be the last time Ace ever saw his father again was the hardest thing Marco had ever done. Once he was certain that Ace had been taken below deck on one of their ally’s ships and they safely escaped, Marco turned back to Oyaji.

He knew that  he was directly disobeying Oyaji’s final command by staying, but Marco couldn’t bear to leave his father alone. Marco kneeled to the ground, watching as his father fought Teach with all of his remaining strength before falling for the last time.

* * *

 

Whitebeard was buried a week later on top of a hill, the field below impaled with one sword for every soul that had lost their life during the war. Several hundred people attended the informal burial, but several thousand didn’t, and their absence spoke far more words than Marco ever could.

The First, Fourth, and Sixteenth Division barracks of the Whitebeard Pirates had been turned into makeshift infirmaries due to the large volume of injured members. Those who had been lucky enough to survive with only minor wounds were sent to sleep in the other division barracks, and everybody tried to not think about how even with three divisions being crammed in with the rest, there was still plenty of room.

Trafalgar Law had appeared, surprisingly enough, claiming that he wanted to offer his medical expertise and assist them in any way he could. There was clearly some type of ulterior motive—the Surgeon of Death didn’t have the reputation of being a kindhearted, generous man—but he came prepared with much-needed supplies, and Marco was worn far too thin to deny any help offered. He had told the other commanders to keep a close eye on him, but so far there was no signs of any shady business, and that would have to be good enough for now.

Marco himself had been restrained to the infirmary to rest for a full 24 hours once he returned, despite his lack of injuries. He spent most of that time watching over Ace’s cot. The teen hadn’t woken up since Marco knocked him out, but the doctors were optimistic that he hadn’t sustained any serious permanent injury and that he should be waking up soon.

Straw Hat woke up a few days ago—much to the doctors’ shock—and had gone on a rampage, if the rumors were to be believed. It wasn’t until he was reassured that Ace was still alive that he allowed the medical staff to look him over. He was on strict bed rest until his injuries were healed, but countless people had seen him wandering the ship aimlessly at night, looking so lost and worried that nobody had the heart to rat him out. Marco suspected that the doctors also knew about Straw Hat’s nightly wanderings, but held the same sentiment as the other crew members. They were all worried about Ace.

To Marco, the past week had been nothing more than a half controlled, chaotic blur as he essentially commanded the entire crew alone. There was always more to do; someone who needed his help, supply groups that needed to be organized, and not to mention that the crew was severely demoralized after losing Oyaji. Marco had prepared for the eventuality of needing to take over command of the crew one day, but he’d been hoping for a more gradual transition than this.

Exhaustion and stress pulled at him like physical weights on his body. There were countless times that Marco would find himself looking for Oyaji to ask him something, or he would wander on deck and stare at his father’s empty seat without ever realizing it.

It wasn’t until an intervention from the other division commanders that Marco took his first proper break since becoming captain. There were far too many responsibilities on his shoulders for one man to carry, and they chastised Marco for even attempting to. He was officially relieved from his duties until the next morning, and though they obviously expected him to eat, sleep, and rest, his room felt too cramped to hold his convoluted thoughts.

The idea of heading anywhere below deck made his chest feel tight and stole his breath. He yearned for the open sky with the wind and the sea after being chained to the ship by duties and responsibility for so long.

It wasn’t long before Marco caved and decided to indulge in the phoenix’s desire and took to the skies. The sharp wind and reflection of the stars onto the sea gave Marco a peace unlike any other, and was already doing wonders to soothe his frazzled nerves and aching heart. By the time he returned to the Moby, his mind finally felt the closest to clear it had been in months.

The Whitebeard Pirates had suffered so many losses in the past week, but they were a family, and they were strong. Those that had died would never be forgotten, but eventually, the pain would begin to fade like a scar on a wound. Marco had encountered death before, so he knew that this much was true.

As he circled around the ship, Marco noticed the briefest flicker of orange towards the back of the ship, and changed course to land lightly behind the shadowy figure hunched over the rail. He approached slowly, uncertain of how lost in thought the other might be, but his worry was unfounded, it seemed.

“If you’re here to pep talk me, just go away now,” Ace muttered, and Marco sighed.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, yoi.” He stood beside the young man practically drowning in bandages, nursing a small flame in his cupped hands and watching it twist and dance in the breeze. Flames dripped from his cupped hands like water, fanning out to dance on the sea for a few moments before vanishing.

The sight reminded Marco of a candlelight vigil; maybe this was Ace’s own way of mourning the friends and family he’d lost. Although the mood was sombre, Marco was content to simply watch and listen to the waves by Ace’s side. Ace didn’t say anything for a long time as he continued his little ceremony, and Marco stayed as a witness, silent but constant in his presence.

“...I put you all in danger. I- I got Oyaji killed, I almost got _Luffy_ killed-” The flames sputtered out and Ace dropped his head, his voice choking up painfully. “So many people are missing. Probably _dead_ , because of me.”

Marco placed a hand on Ace’s shoulder, ignoring the way they hitched with every breath beneath his fingers. “We all knew the risks we were taking, Ace. It was everybody’s decision to go rescue you, yoi. Even Oyaji’s.” Silence met his words, and it took Marco several seconds to realize that Ace had begun to cry as well, or had already been silently doing so for the past minute.

“You know Marco... I realized something while I was up there, sitting on that platform. I couldn’t do anything but sit, and watch you die, and hear you all calling my name over and over, saying you would save my no matter what. And then _Luffy_ falls out of the sky and it’s like all of my worst nightmares coming alive at once, and— and even though I had been so sure that I wasn’t worth dying for, there was some small part of me that was so _happy_ -”

Marco tactfully ignored Ace’s stilted speech, patiently allowing him all the time he needed to get the heaviness they’d all been feeling off of his chest. Ace laughed a little helplessly, wiping at his eyes with the heel of his hand even though the tears were immediately replaced with more.

“Look at me, I’m worse than Luffy,” Ace mumbled through a thin smile. “He used to be such a crybaby, me and Sabo were always saving his ass. And now he’s found his own crew and done so much with his life already, and... maybe I just feel like I’m the only one who hasn’t moved forward yet,” he said softly. Marco sensed that there was a lot more to the story than what Ace was telling him, but he didn’t interrupt.

“You know who I am now,” Ace muttered, rubbing his arms nervously. “I was planning to tell you, some day. I told Oyaji a few months back and he said that we’re all children of the sea.”

“He’s right,” Marco said. The moment felt heavy, like the kind of scene dredged up from a particularly vivid dream. It was the decisive moment where minds change and important decisions were made. The fine line between obsession and self hatred, or finding peace and coming to terms.

“I can’t speak for every person in the crew, but I’ve never cared who your father is, and I never will. Your actions are what define you, Ace, not your lineage. To me, you’ll always be Portgas D. Ace, a reckless hothead who cares more than he lets on and falls asleep while eating without even realizing it.”

Ace let out a shaky laugh and Marco’s lips ghosted up into an empty smile he likely wouldn’t feel for a long time. “But more importantly, you’re my brother, and death itself will never be able change that, yoi. Oyaji still is and will always be our father, even if he’s gone now,” he said softly, “The best we can do is uphold his memory and make his sacrifice worth it by continuing to live freely.”

There was a moment of silence as Marco’s declaration settled into the hole it had carved from the air. He could practically hear the words work their way into Ace’s heavy heart and twisted mind; he could see how the final weight lifted off of his nakama’s shoulders, freeing him. That was when Marco knew that, although Ace would likely never be the same, he would recover eventually.

“Thank you.” The words were near silent, and would have been lost to the sea forever if it wasn’t for Marco’s exceptional hearing.

“I only told you the truth, yoi. There’s nothing to thank me for.”

If Ace was surprised to have received a reply, he didn’t show it. Instead, Ace turned to meet Marco’s eyes with a hint of a smile—the first one Marco had seen since their escape from Marineford. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Oh?”

Ace pulled Marco into a tight hug, mumbling his next words into the commander’s shoulder. “Thank you for loving me.”

Marco returned the hug, holding the brother that he’d almost lost for good as tightly as he could. “I’ll always love my family. They’re the only thing left for me in this world.”

Ace nodded slowly, and his voice sounded like it was far away, lost in another time. “Yeah, you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun facts!
> 
> -Marco's gem is london blue topaz, in the middle of his back.  
> -Ace and Marco's fusion gem is Brazilian alexandrite. I chose this gem because it has a unique property of changing color from pink to blue depending on the type of light it's in. Since Ace and Marco are both fire types, I thought it worked really well.  
> -Alexandrite has 4 eyes and 2 arms  
> -When somebody's gem is removed, they die. Think of it as a second heart, in a way. The gem serves as a source of power  
> -Blackbeard's specialty is being able to 'borrow' the ability from whatever gem he's touching. After he stole Thatch's gem and gained the power to move through shadows, he rose to power by stealing the gems of powerful enemies and wearing them as trophies around his neck. This also serves a double purpose of allowing him to possess up to 2 or 3 abilities at once, depending on his own strength to control them all. The power fades after a few days of the user being dead however.


	4. Do It For Him

Zoro was the first. It didn’t surprise him in the slightest; the others were always getting themselves lost at the worst possible time.

As he stepped a foot on the familiar, slightly sticky grass of the Sabaody Archipelago, Zoro grinned. After two years of training, he could finally say that he was strong enough to be the first mate of the Pirate King.

Roronoa Zoro was well on his way to becoming the greatest swordsman in the world, and a large part of that was owed to Luffy. Zoro had witnessed his captain's ability to make the world itself change to his favor countless times, but he wasn't going to leave the future in fate's hands any longer. No, he would make Luffy the Pirate King with his own blades and strength, and only then could his ambition be truly satisfied.

Now, to find Rayleigh...

"Oi Zoro, are you even listening to me?" Perona screeched in his ear, floating directly in his path. "Don't just wander off, I'll never find you again," she huffed.

"I don't need your help," Zoro insisted, pulling his piece of Rayleigh’s vivre card from his pocket only to see that it was moving directly towards him. Huh, the bar must have relocated or something since the last time he was there. He turned to follow the card, paying no mind to Perona.

"You're still going the wrong way, idiot!" she shouted.

"I'm following the paper! It says to go-" The paper was still moving towards him, despite the fact that he'd already turned. Baffled, it took Zoro a moment to realize what was going on. "Rayleigh must be moving around,” he grunted. “He could at least stay in one place to make it easier to find him," he muttered

"Rayleigh's not moving! You are! In the _wrong direction_ ," Perona snapped, snatching the paper from his hands. "I swear, it's like I'm trying to herd a puppy. Just follow me, I can't leave with a clean conscious if I don't at least make sure you get to him alive."

Zoro decided to let Perona do what she wanted; it would be easier to follow along than to risk potential deafness by her perpetual shouting. And even though she took several wrong turns, they  eventually managed to end up at the bar and Perona finally handed the slip of paper back.

"Now don't go getting yourself lost until somebody else shows up to babysit you, and try not to get arrested before then either, and _don't_ spend all this money at once cause it's all you're getting, and-"

"I got it! Leave me alone and go shopping or something," he grumbled, turning his back and strolling up the steps inside the bar. It was empty aside from a young woman standing at the counter and an old man sitting with a drink.

"So you're the first," the old man said, straightening in his seat.

"What, none of the others have gotten here yet?" Zoro smirked. He should have known. "Those guys are hopeless."

* * *

Franky was the second, and while he was still mildly skeptical that Zoro had been the first, he didn't have time to hang around and catch up with the swordsman. The Sunny was Franky’s first and highest priority until he could ascertain what shape she was in.

Duval had done a great job protecting her, but after he’d been injured, the Sunny was left unprotected. Franky was expecting to find wounds on her, or a few cannonball holes that would need repairing at worst. They would need to set sail as soon as Luffy and the rest of the crew arrived, and knowing his captain’s unpredictable nature, that could either be within the hour or within the month.

What Franky hadn't expected was to find a beaten up Pacifista sitting on the shoreline right in front of the ship. The machine began to whir and click to life at his presence, and Franky summoned his hammer from his gem, prepared to go on the offensive. It’d been two years since he’d last seen a Pacifista, but he wasn’t going to underestimate its power twice.

"I've been waiting for you." The Pacifista’s weight shifted, struggling to its feet. It walked towards Franky, albeit quite slowly compared to what he knew the Pacifista were capable of. "Mission complete."

Electricity crackled all across its body, its movements slow and jerky as it approached Franky... and then passed him. Franky lowered his weapon, watching warily as it walked away without so much as a second glance back. He waited until it had vanished behind a hill, and once he was sure that the Pacifista was long gone, Franky turned back to the Sunny, fully intending to run a full diagnostic check on her nonetheless.

He’d been taken off guard by the Pacifista, and it took him a long moment to realize that the Sunny didn't appear to have a single scratch on her. She looked as new as the day she'd been built, albeit now with a new reflective coating on the outside.

Was it possible that the Pacifista had been protecting her in Duval’s stead? It certainly looked like it, but why would a government-owned bounty hunting machine protect an infamous pirate ship to the point of near self destruction? Or rather, who had programmed the Pacifista to guard the Sunny?

There was a mystery here for sure, but Franky resolved to bring it up with Rayleigh later. For now, he needed to make sure that the Sunny would be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

Once his captain arrived, he’d be sure to bring a maelstrom of trouble with him.

* * *

Nami was the third, somehow.

She would be lying through gritted teeth if she said that she wasn't expecting to be the first, but the fact that she had arrived two whole weeks after _Zoro_ was nearly insufferable. How that directionally challenged idiot had managed to be the first was beyond her.  Regardless, at least she had time to do some shopping before the others got here without needing to worry about a certain swordsman getting lost and never showing up.

The Sabaody Archipelago had changed a lot over the past two years. Even after quick crusade through the tourist area, it was obvious that the buildings were in rougher shape now, and thugs lurked in the shadows between stores. Nami was more annoyed by than afraid of their presence; nervous shopkeepers were harder to haggle with, and there were several occasions where she knew she could've driven the prices lower if they weren't so stingy about their money.

After a few more hours of shopping, she ducked into a run-down bar. It was time to gather some information on just what had happened in the world while she'd been studying.

"The first thing you’d notice is that Marine HQ's been switched with G-1 at the other end of the New World," the barkeeper said as he poured her a drink.

"Really?"

"Well of course! That's the territory of the Yonkou! Just goes to show how ambitious the new Fleet Admiral is."

Nami hummed in agreement, and the bartender moved on to serve other customers. Once her initial surprise subsided, it made sense; she remembered there being far stronger of a marine presence on her first visit to the archipelago. If there were less marines around, that would account for the wild turn the city had taken.

"Oi, are you seeing this?" A drunken voice called out, and Nami focused on their conversation as a force of habit. “The Straw Hat Pirates are recruiting new members!”

"Of course I saw! I'm surprised though, I'd heard that their captain died at the War of the Best two years ago,” another voice stated. “The crew hasn’t made a peep since. I figured they were gone for good, and now they're recruiting!"

"Do you think they'd let me join?" The sound of laughter was the only response.

"Idiot, this island is full of pirates that are way more qualified than you, as if he'd want your useless ass!"

Nami was about to set down her drink and go inquire more about what she had just heard when the door to the bar slammed open.

"Bartender! Get me some booze! And all the food you have too!" A coarse, unpleasant voice demanded. The pub immediately broke out into hushed whispers.

"Do you think that's-"

"There's no doubt about it-"

"It’s Straw Hat Luffy!"

She could see from the corner of her eye as a large man with a red jacket and tattered straw hat dropped into the booth to her left, as well as two others she was guessing were supposed to be Franky, Usopp, and herself. It was clear that they were posing as the presumed dead Straw Hats making a comeback.

Nami would have scowled at how poor the disguises looked if it wasn't for the fact she was clearly in the boss's line of sight. None of their gems were even remotely close to the real ones', an obvious fact even if you didn't notice the shoddy quality of the fake gems themselves. It's like they weren't even trying, but she might as well see what they were up to while she was here.After they’d had their fill of beer and food, men began filtering through the doors one by one to talk to the boss. Each applicant looked meaner than the last, and Nami tutted under her breath as the boss shot a man for having too small of a bounty. As if Luffy would ever care about something like that. It was a wonder these goons had managed to last this long without anybody realizing the truth.

Unfortunately the sound seemed to attract the attention of the boss. "Hey, you, redhead! Don't sulk over there all by yourself, come here! That's one fine lady!"

Nami was thoroughly disgusted and didn't respond to the call in any way, not in the least intimidated.

"Oi, woman! Didn't you hear me? Get your ass over here!"

Nami sighed. Clearly, this man clearly couldn't take a hint. "No thank you. I'm waiting for somebody else." There was a collective gasp throughout the room at her blatant refusal and not-so-subtle insult, but Nami couldn't care less. As if she was going to let that old man grope her.

The Usopp imposter laughed. "You're waiting for someone? Who?” he scoffed nastily. “I bet he’s just a weakling who'll cry and beg for his life when he hears Straw Hat Luffy's name, so how about you come over here on your own before we make you?"

Nami turned to give the men a flat look. "I'm only gonna say it one more time: you're not my type. I refuse to drink with you. Is that clear, Straw Hat... whoever you are?"

* * *

Usopp was the fourth, and the first thing he did was set out to find the others. It'd been two years after all! He couldn't wait to see how much stronger the others had gotten, and he couldn't wait to show off all the powerful new attacks he'd picked up as well.

After a while of searching though with no luck, Usopp was ready to turn in for the day and head back to wait at Shakky's when he heard a ruckus coming from a shabby bar that was squeezed between two shops. People hovered nervously outside the doors, muttering to each other.

"Did you hear about Straw Hat Luffy? Apparently he’s still alive!"

"Yeah! He’s in that bar looking for new crew members right now, I heard he just shot a man in cold blood!"

 _Luffy shot someone?_ His captain, Monkey D Luffy?

Before Usopp could turn around to ask the ladies to repeat what they'd just said, they were gone.

No, there was no way. Usopp knew Luffy; he wasn't the type to even use a gun, let alone shoot someone for no reason. Right?

Usopp wasn't usually the type to go looking for a fight, but if he happened to find one, well, it wouldn't be his fault if someone walked away a bit worse for wear. And if he also happened to embellish the story a bit afterwards when recounting it to his sure-to-be awed crewmates, who could blame him?

Besides, there was only one way to find out the truth. Usopp gathered up his courage and stepped inside the dilapidated building, immediately scrunching his nose at the smell of spilled booze.

"You've got some nerve! I'm gonna blast that look right off of your pretty face!" There was a huge man with a tattered straw hat on his head, aiming a pistol at a woman sitting at the bar. She seemed unbothered by the threat, but Usopp faltered. That woman was going to be killed if he didn’t do anything!

"Sure-Kill Green Star Devil!" He summoned his new and improved slingshot, taking aim and rapidly firing at the underling. A gigantic carnivorous plant sprouted from the floorboards beneath their feet and grabbed them, hoisting them high into the air. The plant continued to grow, and huge vines reached out and latched onto the big man and his other underlings.

"What the hell?" The woman turned to look at Usopp, and it took a moment to click in his mind that he recognized her. A giddy excitement almost had him calling out, but he had to play it cool now. Usopp schooled his expression and moved to sit stoically beside her at the bar.

"How would you like to drink with me instead, miss?"

He felt Nami's questioning eyes on him, and he tipped up his hat, revelling in the look of shock and happiness as she recognized him, too as well.

"Usopp! You've gotten _manlier_!" She pulled him into a tight hug, bouncing with excitement. "Did you do that?" she questioned, gesturing at the big man and his underlings behind her still tangled in the web of vines.

"Of course! It's one of my new weapons! I didn't spend the past two years just sitting around!” Usopp boasted. “Sorry Nami, but I'm not part of the weakling trio with you and Chopper anymore! I'm much stronger now!"

"You're the one that did this?" one of the underlings shouted, and Usopp was shocked to see they were wearing his Sogeking mask.

"Is that Sogeking?!" Usopp’s eyes bulged in shock. Sogeking was supposed to be his hero persona, how could he be an actual person?

"Don't pay any attention to them," Nami scowled, grabbing Usopp’s hand and pulling him from the bar.

They were barely more than a couple yards from the building when it exploded behind them. The air reeked of ozone and his hair stood on end, all clear signs of Nami’s special brand of fighting.

While Usopp still didn't entirely understand what had happened, he had to admit that they’d made an awesome exit from the scene.

* * *

Chopper was the fifth to arrive on the archipelago, and he was thrilled beyond belief. He'd been looking forward to this day for two whole years; he couldn't wait to see how strong the others have gotten! The mere thought of getting to see Luffy and Usopp and the others again filled him with energy, so he decided to head into town and see if he could find any of them there.

The food on the archipelago was even better than Chopper remembered, though spending two years on an island full of savages and birds had lowered his standards.

Eventually he came across of crowd of people surrounding something.  There were people fighting up ahead — a strong pirate crew if the people around him were to be believed.

"The rumors are true! The Straw Hat Pirates are alive!"

"I can't believe it's them!"

Chopper’s ears perked, and he swiveled around, hoping to see his friends. "Who is it? Nami? Usopp? Luffy?"

He hadn't expected to find everybody together so quickly, this was turning out to be a great day! Finally he broke through the wall of people, and got a good look at his friends. Two men, one with green hair and one with yellow — Zoro and Sanji! There was a shorter woman with a fox, too, that must be Robin!

"Zoro! Sanji! Robin!” Chopper ran to catch up with them, but they must not have heard them because they didn’t stop. As he got closer he realized that their scent was off, but he supposed that they had changed a lot over the past two years. “I heard that you got to the rendezvous first, Zoro! I'm impressed you didn't get lost," he giggled to himself.

Zoro and Sanji both glanced back at him before speeding up their pace, and Chopper had to run again to keep up. "Zoro, Sanji, you two must've become good friends in the past two years, huh? But why won't you talk to me? Are you embarrassed?"

The three of them started talking to each other in hushed whispers, and then Robin started kicking away the fox she had been walking and turned to face Chopper. He balked, watching with wide eyes as Robin wordlessly offered him a cucumber. The fox came back and bit Robin’s head, drawing blood and seriously freaking Chopper out.

Before he knew what was happening, two men came running out of nowhere and scooped Robin up into a burlap sack, fox and all, before escaping back into the crowd. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Chopper would have sworn he was dreaming.

"Kidnappers! They took Robin!" he turned to Zoro and Sanji, who didn't seem at all bothered by the sudden turn of events.

"Shouldn't we report this to Captain Luffy?" Sanji asked Zoro, and Chopper felt a bud of hope.

"Luffy? You guys met up with Luffy already?"

"The crew should be ready by now," Zoro answered.

"You're right!" Chopper got back on his feet, eager to see Luffy again. "Take me with you! We need to save Robin as quickly as possible!

Luffy and the others all looked a little different than Chopper remembered too, but there was no time to catch up. Chopper marched straight up to Luffy, beside himself with worry. "Luffy, we need to hurry! Robin was kidnapped by these guys in suits and- and what if they’re slave traders, like with what happened to Caime!"

Luffy blinked at Chopper before turning back to the crew. "Well… whatever. It was her fate, there’s nothing we can do."

Chopper could hardly believe his ears. "Luffy, Robin just got _kidnapped_! Is this some kind of joke? You shouldn't say things like that!"

Luffy just sighed, still looking completely unbothered. "Okay, what is with this thing? Is it some kind of stuffed toy? How can it even talk?"

Tears began to fill Choppers eyes as he looked around and couldn't find a shred of concern on anybody's face. Even Sogeking wasn't acting anything like the hero he used to be. "What happened to you guys? Did those two years really change you this much?”

No response.

“Fine! If you won’t help, I'll go rescue Robin myself!" Chopper ran off, transforming into his reindeer form for the extra speed. The enormity of his task soon hit him as several minutes of searching turned up no leads. Tears blurred his vision, and he relied mostly on his other senses for navigation through the streets.

Even Robin’s scent had dispersed by the time Chopper made it back to where she'd been captured. No matter how hard he tried, Chopper just couldn't make sense of how his friends could have changed so drastically in such a short amount of time.

"Chopper! Hey, Chopper!" A familiar voice called out, and Chopper skidded to a stop, spotting Usopp riding on a bubble bike towards him. Relief overwhelmed Chopper at finally spotting a familiar face in the crowd, and it took him a moment to realize that the woman traveling with Usopp was... Nami?

Chopper shook his head, remembering just what he had been doing before. "Guys! I'm so happy to see you guys again but we need to hurry! Robin's in trouble!"

Usopp and Nami shared a look, and it took Nami a solid ten minutes to explain what was going on. Chopper was overjoyed — someone had dressed up as all of them? That was so cool! It's like they're famous! And dammit that didn't make him happy at all!

* * *

Brook was technically the third to reach Sabaody, but the sixth to arrive at the Sunny. He did, after all, have a duty to his fans to give them one last show; better than any that would be performed there for decades to come. It had been a long time since he’d felt nervous in front of a crowd, but the significance of this final concert had given Brook his first taste of nerves in a while.

It took two years of working himself down to the bone (although he was all bones) to make his way from insignificance to superstardom. He could hear the buzzing of a crowd and thundering as the stadium began to fill up. It was nearly show time.

After fifty years of solitude, being surrounded by hundreds of smiling faces all singing his songs and declaring themselves his biggest fan was like a breath of fresh air, or quite literally like stepping into the sunshine after a long and cloudy day.

Brook had more than once convinced himself that it had all been a dream, and he would soon wake up on a decrepit ship, trapped in the endless current and fog of the Florian triangle. At times, it was still hard to shake the illusion but Brook prevailed, for he knew one thing was certain.

Never in his wildest dreams would he have been able to fabricate Luffy or the others.

It was no coincidence that Brook chose Sabaody to be the last stop on his world tour, though it was very convenient how well the time lined up. The crew must have begun to gather by now, and hopefully Brook would get to see them all again within the next few hours. The anticipation made his heart flutter, even though he had no heart.

Brook wasn’t taken aback by his manager’s less than accepting reaction when Brook told him that he was retiring, nor was he surprised when Rayleigh called to inform him of the approaching marines. With a crew as rowdy as his, trouble was bound to show up wherever they were.

Soon, it was time for the concert to begin, and Brook met his fans with a grin. He had been anticipating this very day for months and months, and the time had finally come. Brook had gotten the chance to share his music with the world, but it was finally time to return to where he truly belonged: under the service of a captain with a hat of straw and will of diamond.

Of course, the marines found him out — no doubt thanks to Brook’s manager — and the concert ground to a halt, right at its climax. They revealed him as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, shocking everybody in the crowd, but being exposed as the musician of the future Pirate King’s crew was nothing less than an honor to Brook.

He truly did sing his heart out, hoping that finally the message he had always been attempting to convey through his music would be received now that the world knew the truth of his past.

His past had always been a subject of mystery and speculation to his fans, but if they were to listen to his music again, they would see that it was always clear. Brook was a Straw Hat Pirate through and through, and would be until the end of time.

His wonderful fans prevented the Navy from bringing the show to a sudden head by taking off Brook’s. Thankful for their support, Brook gave one last farewell to the world before making his leave in a cloud of smoke and fireworks.

* * *

Sanji was the seventh.

The first thing he did after stopping by the bar was head to the market. Robin and Nami would need proper nourishment for their trip to Fishman Island, and now was the perfect chance for Sanji to impress them with his evolved cooking skills.

He dropped by the Sunny along the way to inspect the kitchen, which was still in acceptable shape, miraculously enough. He’d need to give it a good dusting, though. Franky had been lively as ever, which was to be expected considering that the Sunny had remained safe during their absence. Finding himself in an exceptionally good mood, Sanji decided to pick up some extra cola for the cyborg while he was in town.

It was difficult to stay focused when he was being surrounded by so many beautiful women, but Sanji pushed on, motivated by the thought of seeing Robin and Nami again, soon.

A lovely shopkeeper directed him towards a shop selling fish by the shore, but the place was empty when he got there. He noticed a man standing by the sea with a fishing net.

“Oi, are you the owner of this shop?” Sanji called, “What’s wrong?”

The man turned to look at Sanji with panicked eyes. “The guy with green hair! He’s gone!”

Sanji stopped, already getting a fairly good idea of what happened here. “Green hair?”

“Yeah, this young man with green hair and three swords strapped to his waist came to my shop asking to rent a boat to go fishing. I told him to go wait on the dingy on the shore and I’d be right there. I’m sure those were my exact words!”

“Did he have a waistband too?” Sanji questioned.

“Yeah, and a big scar on his eye!”

“Scar on his eye?” Zoro didn’t have a scar as far as Sanji knew. He pulled out the swordsman’s wanted poster, and the old man confirmed his suspicions, not that there had been much doubt about it in the first place. Only Roronoa Zoro was capable of something this dumb.

“Are you his friend or something?” the owner asked hopefully.

“Er... he’s more of an acquaintance really,” Sanji faltered.

“Oh. Well, once I got there, the boat was empty, and I saw him sleeping on a huge pirate galleon that was docked right next to it! I tried to get his attention, but the ship submerged.” The man sighed. “He’s probably on his way to Fishman Island by now.”

Sanji cursed under his breath. Trust that idiot swordsman to get so lost he ended up going to Fishman Island ahead of everybody else. They could probably let Zoro take the helm for one day and wind up on Raftel by dinner time.

“Aren’t you concerned at all? That was a pirate ship! He could already be dead!” the owner pressed.

Sanji ran a hand through his bangs, thoroughly frustrated. “You don’t need to worry about that, it wasn’t your fault at all. He won’t die. At least we know where he’s headed no-”

The water exploded behind them, and a giant ship rose to the surface, cut in half right down the middle. It was completely destroyed, and sitting on one of the fallen masts was none other than Zoro. Oh joy.

Sanji sighed, more than a little disappointed that he’d have to spend the rest of his day babysitting Zoro. Although, he supposed that would be better than Zoro ending up at Fishman Island by himself.

Zoro’s caveman logic and childishness coupled by Sanji’s already sour mood were more than enough to spark a fight between the cook and the swordsman. The fight was only interrupted when Sanji’s den den mushi started ringing. It was Franky, calling to tell them that the marines had begun to make their move and that Luffy had arrived.

It was time to go.

On their way back to the ship, they ran into Luffy, who was coming directly from the noisiest spot on the archipelago. He was being chased by several Pacifista, and he looked like he’d never been happier. Taking down the Pacifista was a cakewalk, which in itself was bizarre considering how hard it had been to take down even one of them two years ago with the entire crew’s power combined. The two years’ training had really paid off.

Hearing Luffy proclaim his dream to the wind again was nostalgic. Sanji would never admit it, but he'd actually missed Luffy during the past two years. Despite himself, Sanji had to admit that seeing his captain’s wide grin again after two long and lonely years was better than seeing the women of Sabaody. Almost, at least.

Oh well. He'd just have to cook up a great meal for the captain once they finally set sail.

* * *

Robin was the eighth, or rather, the eighth to officially check in at Shakky's. She'd actually arrived at the Archipelago a few days ago, but World Government scouts forced her to lie low for a few days. It wasn't until she'd picked up a few interesting tidbits of information from outside her window that she ventured outside to see what was happening to get the archipelago so excited.

Her search came down to two posters, one advertising Brook's concert and the other saying that the Straw Hat Pirates were recruiting new members. She'd followed Brook's rise to fame and wasn't surprised to hear that he decided to hold a concert on the archipelago. No, she was more concerned about the second poster. Luffy was recruiting new members for their crew?

Something wasn’t right here, so Robin made her way to Shakky's bar, going through all the precautions to ensure that she wouldn't be followed. Strangely enough, after a while she couldn't even detect the scouts’ presences any more. It wasn’t that pressing a matter anyway; Shakky and Rayleigh would be able to handle themselves if any unwanted visitors came asking too many questions.

They directed her to where the Sunny was docked, and Robin had to admit that the Sunny was a sight for sore eyes. The ship looked as new as the day she'd been made. To Robin’s delight, Franky was already on the deck, and he was thrilled to finally have someone to talk to.

Robin felt an uncharacteristic gleam of anticipation for what lay ahead as she stepped onto the Sunny for the first time in years. The feeling was very similar to what she imagined coming home to be like, and it brought a smile to her lips.

A translucent, gooey substance covered the entirety of the ship, and Robin found herself rather curious as to how it would allow them to travel underwater. It was slightly sticky and didn't look very strong, but effectively repelled her hand when more force was applied like a giant spring. Or more likely a bubble, as it seemed remarkably similar to the bubbles that the archipelago naturally produced.

"So this is the coating?" Robin asked.

Franky settled down into a reclining chair with a cola. "Sure is! The technique is amazing. Have you seen Shakky and Rayleigh yet?"

"Yes, at the bar just now. I believe I was the eighth to arrive. How about you?"

"Second,” Franky replied. “Aa, it seems Luffy's the last one left."

"So it's almost time to set sail," Franky mused, taking a swig of the cola. "I've finished the maintenance and installed some new weapons too. The others are out shopping for last minute supplies, but they should be here soon."

Robin settled in for the wait, not that she minded; she could finally have some questions answered. She pulled out Brook's poster from her bag, first. "Have you seen this?"

"How could I not? All of his concerts sell out within an hour, they’re legendary. Brook really managed to pull himself from the depths of darkness and into the spotlight,” Franky boasted, “You know, I hate to say it, but it's possible that he might not ever want to return to being a pirate."

Robin contemplated this. She could easily understand why Brook might want to maintain his life of fame after so many years trapped in the Florian Triangle. Brook was their newest member with the relatively weakest ties to the crew, but still Robin couldn’t bring herself to believe he would leave. It was true that Brook had more reasons to abstain from piracy than to return, but the musician had been invited to join by Luffy himself, just like the rest of them.

While Luffy tended to get swept away by lies and novelties, he was generally very perceptive about matters involving the crew. Robin had had plenty of time to observe their captain, and it was obvious to anybody who knew him that deep intelligence lingered beneath the surface. He wouldn't ask somebody to join the crew who wouldn't be truly dedicated.

It wasn't long before Usopp and Chopper returned, and of course made a big fuss over Franky's upgrades. Robin felt incredibly nostalgic watching the three of them. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed this crew during her time with the revolutionaries.

"Robin!"

Robin turned to see Nami standing on the shore, a legion of bubble bags bobbing behind her as she waved. Robin sprouted a few arms to help carry her load onto the ship, and Nami greeted her with a hug. Robin smiled. They’d have lots to talk about later.

Not long after that, Rayleigh and Shakky appeared on the shore as well. "Sorry to interrupt the reunion, but there's trouble on the island. A group of thugs appeared posing as the Straw Hat Pirates. Naturally, that garnered the attention of the marines, who are mobilizing their forces as we speak. You’ll want to prepare for a hasty departure,” Rayleigh said.

“I've already informed Brook of the situation, he should be here soon," Shakky added.

Robin was not surprised by this information, as it merely confirmed what she's already expected. Rayleigh started to explain how to navigate underwater, but Usopp interrupted him.

"Oi Rayleigh! Haven't you noticed that we're still missing the most important person? We can't set off without Luffy!" he protested.

Rayleigh smiled. "Luffy has already arrived on the archipelago."

The effect of those words was instantaneous; all the Straw Hats stood a little taller, became more focused. Their captain was coming, and they would need to be prepared when he arrived, most likely with trouble following close behind. If nothing else, Robin was looking forward to seeing him again.

It felt good to be home.

* * *

Luffy was the last.

It was weird to be back on Sabaody after such a long time. Luffy kept his head down, as Hammock had instructed, and the faces around him blurred together. All he thought about was seeing his nakama again.

This was turning out to be much more complicated than Luffy had expected. He didn't entirely understand what was going on, but it had something to do with this guy who shouted a lot and liked waving a gun around. He ran into Sanji and Zoro, too, but then the marines showed up with Pacifista and apparently Zoro and Sanji were fakes, so Luffy left to go find the real ones. It was all really confusing.

He found them, but there was no time to catch up, not yet. He even got the chance to see Rayleigh again and thank him for everything he’d done, and they managed to escape with his help.

Chopper had picked them up on a gigantic bird, and the Sunny soon emerged from the tree line; sparkling in the sunlight in an almost playful way. It was as if she was welcoming him home again.

Luffy could see people moving around on deck, and he jumped up, anticipation fluttering in his stomach. Or maybe he was just hungry.

“OI! YOU GUYS!”

Everyone stopped and turned to look at Luffy, as if pulled to him by a magnetic force. Luffy waved madly, a wide grin on his face. Everybody looked strong and happy, and Luffy couldn’t be more pleased.

After the war two years ago, while Luffy had been waiting for his only brother to wake up, he’d done some thinking. It wasn’t really like him, thinking intensely like that, and Luffy was fairly sure it hadn’t helped his healing process any, but… Being nearly killed and seeing Ace being nearly killed had made him realize how utterly out of his depth he truly was.

So he had wandered in the Moby Dick’s hallways at night, waiting for Ace to wake up so he could hug him and hear his brother’s voice again. And the more he wandered, the more certain he had become of one thing.

He needed to get stronger still.

Looking at his crew now and seeing their excited faces and sensing the confidence they all exuded, Luffy knew that he’d made the right call. As much as he had missed his crew during the two years he’d spent training with Rayleigh, this was for the best.

He was finally reunited with his nakama, and now they would be ready to face anything. And Luffy couldn’t have been happier.

Or, well, maybe he could.

"Franky! You look so cool!" Luffy cried.

The cyborg had gone through some major upgrades, and Luffy drooled just imagining all of the awesome new weapons he must have now. His hair even grew when he pressed his nose! Maybe he had beams, now...

His admiring was interrupted by an irate Nami and a couple of warships. No big deal.

Everybody prepared themselves for a fight, but Hancock moved in front of the ships, preventing them from being able to fire. For some reason, the fact that he was friends with Hancock upset Sanji, but Luffy didn't really get why. Sanji was kind of dumb like that, anyway.

Franky dived under the ship and suddenly the ground started to inflate into a giant soap bubble that rose way above their heads. His crew clamored about the coating and what it would do, but that all sounded boring. Luffy decided it was a mystery bubble and left it at that. Navigating the ship was Nami’s job, and he trusted her to do what needed to be done to get them to where they wanted to go, safe and sound.

Once it seemed like the activity on deck had slowed down, Luffy hopped up on a bench, turning to face the crew that had waited for him for the past two years. They all watched him expectantly, and Luffy felt the first twinge of real excitement.

"Everyone! There's lots of stuff I've wanted to say to you, but for now I'll thank you for putting up with my selfishness for these past two years!"

"You're acting as if we're not used to this kind of thing," Sanji said.

"You're always like this, it was hardly a surprise" Usopp added, and Luffy had to laugh. He really did find the best nakama for his crew.

The ship began to sink, and Luffy sucked in a deep breath, raising his fists to the sky. "Unfurl the sails! _Set sail!"_

The command was met with resounding cheers as the Sunny sank beneath the waves, heading for a new adventure with her nakama safely on board.

They were off, together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun facts!
> 
> -It took me a long time and several incorrect attempts before I managed to figure out their arrival order. As far as I know though, this is the canonical order in which they arrived on Sabaody.  
> -Brook's gem is Brookite. He was named after his gem, as was the tradition when he was born. For the same reason, star lemon quartz and red spinel (the gems that make up Luffy) don't have 'normal person' names even though the tradition died out.  
> -Zoro's gem is adamite  
> -Franky's gem is sphene  
> -Wanted Posters specify gem type and location as well when possible.  
> -Not one of the Fake Straw Hats' gems match the real ones', so they bought cheap knockoff gems and glued them where they thought their counterparts' would be. They were all wrong.


	5. Stronger Than You

"Cheers!"

Mugs clinked together and the contents splashed dangerously inside, spilling out of the top. The Straw Hats were celebrating again, but for what reason, Law didn't know. He sat a ways away from the bonfire they had set up on the beach, still holding the untouched mug of juice that Luffy had stubbornly pushed into his hands, insisting that everyone needed a drink at a party.

For the life of him, Law couldn't understand how this crew could act so carefree. Doflamingo was coming for their heads at this very moment, and yet here Law was, having a party on the beach on some deserted island. It was absurd.

They should be preparing for when they arrived at Dressrosa; they still needed to create a plan of attack that could bring down a warlord. Of course Law had had plenty of time to think and felt reasonably confident about his ideas, but getting his allies to understand and agree would be a different ordeal altogether.

"Torao! What're you doing over here?" Luffy demanded, appearing out of thin air to drag Law back to the party. Law's feet dug in the sand automatically, causing Luffy's arms to stretch before he realized Law wasn't moving. He didn’t release his grip, though, instead training a questioning gaze on Law. "Torao?"

"What are we doing here, Straw Hat-ya? We shouldn’t be _partying_ , we- we still need a plan," Law fumbled, and Luffy frowned, retracting his  arm with a _snap_.

"You said you had a plan."

"Well, yes, but there’s preparations to be made, and-"

"Who cares about all that," Luffy dismissed, brows furrowed. "Talking about it won't get us to Dressroba faster or change what Doflamingo’s going to do. Besides, my crew is strong! So while we already have to wait, we should have some fun!" With that, he resumed the tugging, oblivious to Law's inner turmoil.

"Do you even understand who we're going against, Straw Hat-ya? Doflamingo could be sending out scouts to kill us right now, and we're sitting ducks on this beach!"

"Why would he send people if he already knows we're coming to Dressroba?" Luffy looked genuinely bewildered, and Law sputtered, unable to think up an appropriate response. Not for the first time, Law doubted his decision to create an alliance with the Straw Hat Pirates. This crew was clearly completely and utterly _insane_ , in every sense of the word.

"You're so funny, Torao," Luffy laughed, presumably at Law’s screwed up expression.

"Straw Hat-ya." Luffy paused, his attention grabbed by a change in Law’s tone.

"Do you really think we'll be able to defeat Doflamingo?" Law blurted. The thought appeared in the air before Law realized he had even considered it, and by then it was too late to snatch the words back.

"Of course!" Luffy grinned, looking far too confident as he placed a hand on the bicep of his opposing arm. "Like I said, we're strong!" He says the words as if that's that so there’s no point arguing, and Law just... gave in.

Trying to make Luffy see sense was like trying to dry up the sea; not even worth trying. He was the type of person who could drag anybody into his gravitational aura, given enough time, and Law was no exception. There was something about the captain that made Law feel and act impulsive, made him shed the exterior walls he had placed for his own protection. Luffy was the kind of man that took what he wanted and didn't give a damn about what was right or wrong. It was one of the reasons Law had wanted him as an ally.

But it sure was a pain to deal with on a daily basis.

"Right," Law murmured.

"Torao, whether we think we can or can't beat Doflamingo, none of that matters. We’ll never know until we try, so there’s no point thinking about it," Luffy said, sounding very much like he was trying to explain something obvious to a small child.

Luffy's burning gaze snapped to the shore, and an excited grin that Law had learned to be wary of appeared on his face. Law’s eyes followed, spotting another ship approaching the small island. If the black flag on the mast was any indication, they weren't here on a social call either. Law unsheathed Kikoku in one swift motion, and the other Straw Hats seemed to notice the visitors just as the first cannonball was fired and all hell broke loose.

The invading pirates were fairly typical; weaklings with a stroke of good luck who all thought their captain was the strongest. Though to be fair, their captain was stronger than most Law had come across over the years. A fusion of two men who were tough in their own rights, it wasn't until he managed to separate the pair that Law and Luffy gained the advantage and were finally able to take them out. By that time, the rest of the Straw Hats had taken care of the subordinates and the crew was sent on their way— after being robbed of all valuables by the Cat Burglar, of course.

The party went back into full swing as if the interruption had never happened, the only difference being that this time, Law joined in. He kept to himself but it was still the most he had interacted with the crew since their alliance had been formed. He could tell that the  others were surprised by his sudden willingness to socialize.

Fighting those captains had given Law a crazy, impossibly reckless idea that may just work. It would need a lot of planning and practice, and maybe it was crazy to even entertain the thought, but…

Maybe there was something to Luffy's words when he said that they might as well have fun. Maybe just for tonight, Law could allow himself to relax. Tomorrow, they would begin to plan their attack.

* * *

 

Doflamingo trained his revolver on Law, briefly wondering where he had gone wrong training that young child with darkness and hatred clearing his eyes. Doflamingo had no doubt that Law would have had incredible potential as the next Corazon. It was a shame he'd been corrupted so young.

“It’s over now, Law. What a waste of thirteen years of your life. You’re going to die like a dog regardless, so why don’t you make yourself useful before that?” Doflamingo purred in his ear, relishing in the visible tremor of fear that travelled down Law’s spine. “I’ll only say this once, so listen closely: perform the Eternal Youth Surgery, and I’ll grant any wish you desire.”

“Any wish I desire?” Law said darkly. “In that case, why don’t you bring Cora-san back to life and submit to every citizen in this country?” Law looked up with a shit-eating grin, a look that Doflamingo very much wanted to wipe right off his smug little face.

Law plowed on, “you haven’t told me anything I don’t already know, but you’re the one who doesn’t see what’s going to happen! You’ll never be able to defeat Straw Hat-ya, or any of the Straw Hat pirates for that matter. You’re the one who’s doomed.” Law took a shallow breath, his lips curving in a smirk. “The Straw Hats have have left nothing but sheer miracles in their wake!”

Just as Doflamingo was about to unload the rest of his pistol's bullets into Law's body, the ground exploded beneath his feet again and Law seemed to vanish into thin air. Straw Hat flew up onto the floor, landing right next to where his ally stood on unsteady feet.

"How did you still have the energy to use Room?" Trebol demanded to know.

"I've been suspending a room over the entire castle. I think it's time we upped the stakes, Straw Hat-ya. Don't you agree?"

"What? Oh! Yeah!" Straw Hat agreed eagerly. “Get ready Mingo, cause we’re going to kick your ass!”

Law sighed but took Straw Hat's hand in his own, spinning him around and pulling the younger teen in close. Doflamingo realized a second too late what was about to happen, and by the time he lashed out to stop it the flash of light had already faded.

Where the two bloody, enraged pirates had stood was now a single form, prepared to block the attack and counter with one of its own. It let loose a  furious n barrage of punches that Doflamingo easily blocked with a wall of string.

They began to circle each other, both parties exuding confidence as they sized each other up. "I knew you were foolish, Law, but it seems I’ve underestimate how low you’re willing to sink. I thought you of all people would know that fusion is nothing more than a cheap tactic to make weak gems stronger,” Doflamingo sneered. “Even if you weren't both half dead, you have no hope of defeating me."

The fusion just smirked, brushing off Doflamingo's taunts like water off a duck's back. "If you want to underestimate me, go right ahead. It’ll only give me the advantage in the end."

Doflamingo's eye twitched at the cockiness of this brat, but he stepped away, allowing Trebol to take his place. As inferior as fusions were, he'd seen more than enough to see that they did gain a degree of strength.

With Law fusing with somebody as volatile as that Straw Hat brat, who knew what they would be capable of? No, better to let Trebol find out the hard way while Doflamingo scoured the fusions for any and all signs of weakness.

Trebol leapt forward, but the fusion easily dodged the attack that had left Law writhing earlier, appearing directly behind Trebol with Law's sword in hand. A single slash was all it took to cut Trebol neatly in half, and the fusion kicked him to the opposite side of the roof.

Trebol snagged his other half with a string of goo and recombined, but it seemed distance was what the fusion had wanted. Doflamingo watched with interest as it continued to exchange blows with Trebol, fighting with fists and swords that appeared out of nowhere.

No, that wasn't right, Doflamingo thought. It seemed that Straw Hat's devil fruit powers had added to Law's, allowing the lower pair of arms to attack with its fists to maintain the distance between itself and Trebol, leaving the other pair free to land blows with the sword. It was an impressive strategy, but it wouldn’t be enough. The fusion sliced Trebol into pieces once more with that damned radio knife, buying them a few minutes before Trebol could reform.

The fusion turned to face Doflamingo with a savage grin, exuding an air of complete control over the situation. "I guess we've strung you along for long enough.”

Doflamingo jumped forward with a snarl, the strings at his fingertips ready to tear the fusion to shreds. It dodged the initial attack with ease, and the two of them began exchanging blows faster than what any normal human would be able to follow.

It seemed that Law’s and Straw Hat’s strength combined were roughly equal to Doflamingo’s own, which could prove irksome if the fight continued to drag on like this. He raised a large whip of string from the ground, lashing out at the fusion with deadly speed.

The fusion effortlessly danced out of reach, a teasing grin on its face. "You're going to have to try harder than that, Mingo.”

Lightning fast, the fusion jumped forward, it lower set of arms grabbing the schichibukai's shoulders while the upper set charged, the sword crackling with green energy.

Doflamingo wasn’t entirely certain that happened next, only that in the next moment he was coughing up a mouthfuls of blood as his body burned with intense pain. The ground vanished from beneath him as several kicks sent him skidding back to a wall.

It was at least a solid minute before Doflamingo could comprehend anything beyond the excruciating pain. He was forced to remain on the floor as his strings began stitching his organs back together.

The fusion stood above him, twirling the sword in its many hands and looking entirely too pleased now that their positions had been switched. "Gamma Knife is one of Law's most powerful attacks, you know. It has the ability to completely destroy all of your internal organs without leaving a single mark on your skin."

“Law, I have something to say that’s as evil as you think I am. You see, Corazon was nothing but a hinderance to me,” Doflamingo spoke, voice rough but cruel. “If it wasn’t for him finding some worthless idea of justice or feelings, I might have felt some regret for killing him that day.”

With a shout of fury the fusion leapt forward again, but Doflamingo was ready. He rose to his feet, grabbing the fusion’s wrists and redirecting its momentum over his head and onto its back. The fusion groaned and rolled over, but Doflamingo flicked a finger and pulled it back up to its feet, tangling the fusion in a web of string. He roughly yanked the fusion forwards with another twist of his wrist, causing the strings to tighten and constrict its body.

"Don’t you understand yet, Law? I will always be two steps ahead of you, no matter what tricks you and Straw Hat have up your sleeve. You've been nothing but a thorn in my side since the moment you showed up in this country," he sneered, raising a hand to lop the fusion’s head off once and for all while it was tangled in his strings.

"My name isn’t Law, and it isn’t ‘Straw Hat’, either!" the fusion growled. “ _I am Andalusite!”_

A wave of powerful energy crashed over Doflamingo. Surprise caused him to pause for only a second or two, but it was enough. Faster than what seemed possible, the fusion broke the strings’ hold by rapidly expanding its body, pressing two thumbs from the lower set of arms to Doflamingo’s torso. He only had a moment to prepare himself before the fusion sent a violent arc of electricity coursing through him, forcing him to his knees once more.

"You’re wrong! You made my friends cry and made my nakama angry, so I’m taking this into my own hands! You and your damn bird cage have been the thorn in _my_ side, and it’s time somebody took you out!" The fusion lowered into a crouch, placing a fist on the ground and glaring at Doflamingo with seemingly endless rage.

“Gear Second.”

“That isn’t going to work again,” Doflamingo snarled. “I already know all your little tricks now.”

“Gomu gomu no…” The fusion flung a lower arm far behind their body, and its skin blackened with haki. Smoke began emanating from its body as well, distorting the air around them.

Doflamingo made to rise back to his feet, only to find his limbs entirely unresponsive. It felt like the electricity was still coursing through his body, immobilizing his muscles and holding him in place. With all the damage he had amassed during the fight, his body was falling apart faster than he could stitch it back up. As he watched the fusion prepare what would be a devastating final blow, Doflamingo knew that he wouldn’t be able to dodge in time. Against all the odds, he had been defeated.

Steam began emanating from the fusion’s body as the arm began to retract, catching fire as a result of friction with the air itself. Electricity crackled in the air, mingling with the flames, and for a moment Doflamingo was distracted by its destructive beauty.

_“Counter Shock!”_

_“Red Hawk!”_

When the fist collided with Doflamingo’s face, it was no more than a superheated blur, and then the world went black.

To think that Law would be the one to take him down, and with a fusion of all things...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun facts!
> 
> -fusion is regarded very differently from area to area. Some see it as something that should only be done with people you're intimate with like dating and marriage, while others find it disgusting and improper. Pirates, of course, fuse whenever they want, because pirates don't care what others think is improper.  
> -Doflamingo's gem is Malaya.  
> -Law's gem is onyx, on the side of his right arm below the shoulder. It's right above where Doflamingo severed his arm.  
> -Andalusite has 4 arms and 4 eyes.
> 
> This story is part of [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), whose goal is to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites:
> 
> * Short comments
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> 
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> 
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